Shakky's private dock was filled with a dazed and shocked atmosphere as Rayleigh, Gabban, Shakky, Bullet, Crocodile, and the others stared at the pig-headed man tied to the floating cross stake behind Buggy.
...
After a moment of silence, the sound of Lucci and the other CP9 members swallowing saliva could be heard from the side.
"If I'm not mistaken, those guys are Celestial Dragons?" Shakky said, trying to suppress her shock by taking a deep drag on her cigarette.
"Absolutely," Rayleigh said after a brief pause.
Gabban looked at St. Charmarco, then at Buggy, and smiled wryly. "Buggy, it seems we underestimated your guts. What do you plan to do with the Celestial Dragons here?"
"The path to becoming a king is paved with countless sacrifices," Buggy said, his smile growing colder. "In that case, let this Celestial Dragon be the first stepping stone on my path to kingship!"
Hiss!
Lucci and the others gasped upon hearing Buggy's words.
Bullet grinned, looking at Buggy, and said, "Buggy, you're even crazier than me! Hahaha, but yes, if you don't have the guts, why would you ask me, Bullet, to do things for you? Tell me your next plan; I'm happy to be the king's vanguard."
Crocodile's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Being able to witness a legend by the side of a man like you, it seems I've chosen the right path!"
"Eh? Who are Celestial Dragons? Can we eat them?" Sunjuan whispered loudly.
"Ah!"
Kalifa, unlike Luffy and the others, had already regained her composure on the way back. Seeing their current appearance, she couldn't help but support her forehead and say, "You guys are all lunatics!"
"No!"
"We're just normal people!"
In the corner, Mr. 3 and BOn Clay clung to each other in horror.
"Hahahaha"
Rayleigh and the others burst into laughter.
"Little Buggy is quite something," Shakky chuckled. "So, what do you plan to do with these Celestial Dragons? If you need any help, I can assist you."
Swish!
At that moment, everyone turned their attention to Buggy, curious about his intentions regarding the Celestial Dragons.
"Don't the Marines enjoy executions?" Buggy's big mouth, adorned with scarlet clown makeup, curled up slightly.
Everyone's eyes widened upon hearing Buggy's words.
"Could it be..."
"No way?"
"You bastard, Buggy!"
Gabban and the others looked at Buggy in disbelief.
"What's wrong?" Buggy shrugged. "Celestial Dragons are just people."
"When people are killed, they die!"
"I'd love to see how long the Celestial Dragons can beg for their lives on the execution platform while the whole world watches the live broadcast! Yes, my first step towards the summit is to bring the Celestial Dragons down from their pedestals! Are you all with me?"
Wow!
As soon as Buggy spoke, the crowd erupted in an uproar. Even Sunbell, who had been lying in the water on the riverbank, jumped up.
At that moment, the determination emanating from Buggy made them see a glimpse of greatness. He may not be Roger, but rather, Rocks!
Their hearts surged with excitement at this realization!
"Why wouldn't we dare!" Bullet was the first to roar, surrounded by Haki, his every muscle trembling with excitement.
"Why wouldn't we dare!"
"Why wouldn't we dare!"
"Why wouldn't we dare!"
Almost immediately after Bullet finished his low growl, Gabban and the others snapped out of their shock. Their faces turned red, and they shouted with passion, their necks thick with intensity.
Shakky, next to them, was so shocked that her cigarette fell to the ground.
"Sigh..."
Rayleigh also let out a long breath, filled with surprise.
"Buggy, in terms of sheer courage, you have surpassed, Roger! You've done something he never dared to do from the beginning to the end!"
Pausing for a moment, Rayleigh's tone suddenly turned serious as he continued, "But do you understand the implications of your actions? Killing Gods! Challenging the world! Such figures have appeared before. One of them was Rocks D. Xebec! However, he has long disappeared into the river of history. You should understand this."
Rayleigh's words sent shockwaves through everyone present. This group of people had experienced that era. They could even say that the Roger Pirates brought an end to the era of Rocks. Now, Rayleigh's words made Buggy's actions seem reminiscent of Rocks!
Feeling everyone's gaze on him, Buggy smiled disdainfully.
Witnessing this, Rayleigh said in surprise, "Buggy, what drives you?"
"I laugh at Rocks, who lacked resourcefulness, wisdom, and discipline in his subordinates. Besides bravery, all that remained was cruelty! Those who fail to plan for the bigger picture are unfit to lead a world, and those who fail to plan for eternity are unfit to plan for a moment."
"This was the result of his downfall!"
Buggy smiled proudly.
"He wanted to be the king of the world just based on his insignificance? Unless he possessed power surpassing this world, able to shatter all laws with a single force, everything would be empty talk! But if he truly had power beyond this world, why would his subordinates abandon him in the Battle of the God Valley?"
"Insufficient strength, lack of planning, unclear self-awareness—if their strength is insufficient, yet they attempt to break the world's rules, how dare they defy the world? It's all the same to me!"
As soon as Buggy's words were spoken, everyone present fell into deep thought.
It must be said that Buggy's analysis of Rocks was impressive, and some of his words hit the mark!
If Rocks could fulfil even half of what Buggy said, then the Battle of the God Valley must have been incredibly challenging!
"So, Buggy, are you fully prepared?" Rayleigh looked at Buggy with surprise.
"Calculations and planning have always been my style," Buggy chuckled, exuding confidence.
"Firstly, I don't currently possess anything that threatens the World Government's foundation. Secondly, my crew is strong enough!"
"One or two Marine Admirals alone pose no threat to me. If the World Government wants to fight me, they would have to bring Garp as the leader, with three Admirals as assistants, to have a chance at eliminating me."
"But even in that case, it would be equivalent to a full-scale war!"
"In a full-scale war, I won't engage in positional warfare with the World Government. We'll employ hit-and-run tactics, harassing them when they camp, attacking them when they're tired, and pursuing them when they retreat!"
"With Blueno's abilities, what does the Marine have to counter me? Ultimately, the World Government won't turn against me just because of one Celestial Dragon. At most, they'll find one or two excuses to save prestige in the future. That's precisely what I'm aiming for!"
.....
Shakky also understood Buggy's intentions and admired his ingenious plan.
"Little Buggy, not only do you aim to step on the Celestial Dragons, but you also intend to trample on the Marines to reach the top of the New World!"
"Being an emperor is not my goal," Buggy chuckled, not revealing all of his plans. The real key lies in the words said on the day of the Celestial Dragons' execution! By then, both the Marines and the World Government won't have enough time to react. Even if they send three Admirals, it won't make a difference.
If they want to go all out against our pirate group, they must, as Buggy said, deploy all their combat power from the very beginning. And they must do it discreetly, without raising much attention, to avoid playing into Buggy's hands!
Otherwise, they would be foolish to face such a formidable team.
For now, Buggy only needs to inform the team members of a portion of the plan, instilling confidence in them and gaining their trust.
After the Celestial Dragons' execution, the entire team will be united!
At that point, Buggy can reveal the full extent of his plan.
It can be said that all the team members, including Gabban, have been inspired by him and eagerly look to him for direction.
"So, when should we start broadcasting the execution?" Sunbell scratched the fins above his head and looked at Buggy expectantly.
As one of the most despised creatures by the Celestial Dragons, the merfolk definitely have their grievances. After all, it was the Celestial Dragons who initiated the Mermaid Slave Trade!
Combined with the subsequent incidents involving Princess Otohime and Fisher Tiger, the merfolk's disdain for the Celestial Dragons has only grown stronger.
Snap!
Buggy snapped his fingers and laughed.
"Don't worry, before that, we have to head to Fish-Man Island. That place used to be Whitebeard's territory. Now that Whitebeard is gone, the Whitebeard Pirates will likely face significant losses. In this situation, it's only fitting that we, the Buggy Pirates, take over Whitebeard's territory. I had a discussion with Marco before he left. As the de facto leader of the Whitebeard Pirates now, he agreed to my plan."
Hearing Buggy's words, Gabban's eyes lit up as he said, "Did Marco really give up the territory so easily?"
"That's right," Buggy smiled. "He hopes that I will maintain the old rules of the Whitebeard Pirates' territory, treat the affiliated forces' personnel well, and ensure the peace that Whitebeard protected remains intact."
"And you agreed?" Crocodile looked at Buggy in surprise.
"Why wouldn't I?" Buggy replied, looking at him strangely.
"Are we short on money?"
Crocodile took a glance at the dazzling golden ship, with almost half of it made of gold [Golden Ark]. The amount of gold alone might be worth at least 50 billion Belli.
So, Crocodile stayed silent.
"So, you are saying we should increase the taxes for those affiliated forces?" Buggy raised a finger.
"As long as we can maintain peace, even collecting just 10% of the tax will provide us with more money than we can spend!"
"How is that possible?" Crocodile said in shock. "I used to rule over half a country! Captain Buggy, don't try to deceive me."
"You call it ruling?" Buggy gave him a disdainful look. "Alabasta nearly went bankrupt under your rule! With all the benefits you enjoyed and the way you treated the country, you should be ashamed to say you ruled half a country. Where is your integrity?
You have to understand that peace attracts people!"
Buggy's words struck like a sharp knife, piercing Crocodile's heart. Crocodile blushed with embarrassment at Buggy's rebuke.
"Hahaha!"
The entire Buggy Pirates burst into laughter, creating a joyous atmosphere on the dock. After the laughter died down, Buggy and his crew prepared to head to Fish-Men Island.
Fish-Men Island was Buggy's first and most important destination on his journey to the New World!
Poseidon!
That's why Buggy had to visit Fish-Men Island. The entire plan had been meticulously arranged in Buggy's mind.
Gululu...
As the coated warship began its descent, Buggy and his crew bid farewell to Rayleigh and Shakky.
After a brief moment of standing there, Shakky suddenly spoke up.
"You had such a good trainee crew member! Your Pirate Group's spirit of freedom shines through him. Even the original Rocks fall short compared to him!"
"Yes!" Rayleigh narrowed his eyes slightly and murmured, "Perhaps it's surpassing expectations and going beyond greatness? Buggy, let me see where your journey leads."
Half a day later, at the seafloor...
Led by Sunbell, Buggy and his crew reached Fish-Men Island without encountering any disturbances during their descent of 10,000 meters.
The sunlight brought by the Sunlight Tree Eve made the 10,000-meter-deep seafloor resemble a sunny day. In this dark world, a ray of light illuminated millions of lives on Fish-Men Island!
Looking at the two sunlit islands suspended under the 10,000-meter-deep seafloor, it felt like stepping into a fairytale world.
Incredibly beautiful!
"Fish-Men Island! I never expected to return here in my lifetime." Tears welled up in Sunbell's eyes.
"Um?" Buggy's keen senses detected something amiss.
"What's wrong, Buggy?" Gabban looked at him suspiciously.
"Something is wrong on Fish-Men Island." Buggy didn't hold back.
"What? With Jinbei there, it shouldn't be possible!" Sunbell exclaimed in astonishment.
"Let's go inside and find out." Buggy wasted no time. Based on the current situation, Jinbei could be walking into a trap.
Minutes later, Buggy and their ship reached the heart of Fish-Men Island, quickly identifying the source of the chaos.
Near the Mermaid Cafe.
"Jinbei, and you, get out of the way! We only need one female mermaid. If you don't move, don't blame me for attacking Prince Fukaboshi!"
"Scumbag!"
"Damn it! We can't let them get away!"
"All these slave traders should be killed!"
"What about Prince Fukaboshi? Damn it!"
Upon hearing the threats from the group of human traffickers, Jinbei's expression turned extremely grim. The other merfolk guards were also at a loss. Seeing this scene, the horse-faced trafficker wore a smug smile on his face.
"Jinbei, step aside! Whitebeard is dead and gone! No one will protect you anymore, Fish-Men Island! If you don't let me pass, I'll sever one of Prince Fukaboshi's arms! Don't even think about making a move; if any of you dare, these collars will explode instantly! Even if I die, I'll take all of you down with me! As for the key, forget about it; it's in our auction house. Ha ha ha ha..."
"You!"
Jinbei didn't know what to do at that moment.
Without those collars, he could defeat the slave traders in two or three strikes. The current situation left him feeling somewhat helpless.
All five missing mermaids were collared, and with Prince Fukaboshi, there were six people in total.
If the slave traders were allowed to take away one mermaid, the safety of the remaining five seemed like a reasonable trade-off. But would it be enough?
The situation reached a deadlock, and silence fell upon the surroundings. All the mermaids and merfolk looked at Jinbei, expecting him to resolve the matter.
Suddenly, a series of distinct footsteps echoed from behind.
Everyone instinctively turned their heads to look, and there they saw the face with clown makeup that had left an impression on people all over the world just a few days ago!
"Yo, Jinbei, looks like you could use some help."
Buggy's lips curled up slightly.
"You, you..."
Before Buggy could finish speaking, panic engulfed the group of traffickers.
Hum!
However, even before Buggy finished his sentence, their eyes rolled back, foam appeared, and all the dozens of human traffickers collapsed to the ground, incapacitated!
Even the abducted mermaid ladies and Prince Fukaboshi were taken aback. Everyone was in disbelief. Was the problem resolved just like that?
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